I want to talk to you today about the Joseph factor. The first thing I want to say today is that I don't only want you to hear my words today, I want you to hear my heart.
I'm not a person given to snap judgments, or to extremes. I'm pretty even tempered, and pretty even-keeled.
Also I do believe that I am a man of faith. I believe the Word of God. I believe that fear is the work of the devil. I agree with the Word of God that says... "For God did not give us the spirit of fear but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." 1 Timothy 1:7
Now having said that, I'm going to deliver a word to you today that may not sound typically like a faith word, but it is.
Let me start by saying, I have found that many in the body of Christ mistake presumption for faith. In other words, an attitude of many is that if you've got faith that's all you need. Many have the attitude that faith is the fix all. And that faith makes up for all of our all of our lack of thought, and all of our lack of preparation.
One of the things we need to understand that is critical to the hour we're living in, is that faith and wisdom are not the same. I do believe that a person of true biblical wisdom will have faith, but faith itself is not wisdom.
While I do believe that person with wisdom has faith, it does not necessarily follow that a person of faith has wisdom.
Let me give you an illustration: You may have a terrible physical condition, and you hear the word of God preached, and faith for healing comes alive in your heart, and you get healed. But you don't change the lifestyle that got you into trouble to start with. So you had faith for healing, but not wisdom to stay healed. "Faith is not a substitute for good common sense."
Again let me say, you can have faith and not have wisdom.
One of the definitions of wisdom is the ability to discern consequences....
In other words wisdom is the ability to look ahead, and see the consequences of the decisions, or the actions, that you are presently taking, or not taking as the case may be.
Sometimes people think that they are actually acting in unbelief by looking ahead, and by taking precautions, and making preparations. That's why I wanted us to look at Joseph today. That's why we're talking about... the Joseph factor.
What was the Joseph factor? Well the word factor means the ingredient that produces a result or an outcome.
What was the ingredient in Joseph's life that served to bring a desired result or outcome, which was the preservation of Israel during a 7-year famine?
Of course the answer is, wisdom: In other words... the ability to look ahead and determine the consequences of actions taken, or not taken. Yes I believe Joseph was anointed, but it was not the anointing of power to cast out devils that made Joseph valuable, and brought him to the position of prime Minister of Egypt... it was the anointing of wisdom.
Proverbs 22:3 says... A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.
Proverbs 14:15 The simple believeth every word: but the prudent man looketh well to his going.
Proverbs 14:16 A wise man feareth, and departeth from evil: but the fool rageth, and is confident.
The word, evil in this verse could also be interpreted as... pain, grief, sorrow, adversity, afflictions, calamity, and hardship.
Certainly seven years of extreme famine would fall into the category of evil, or calamity, adversity, sorrow and pain.. But notice that the wise man feareth and departeth from the evil. That word feareth could also be interpreted... wisely considereth the consequences.
When I was a kid in school they would have random fire drills. We would hear the fire alarm, then we would line up and walk single file out into the open field far away from the buildings. There wasn't any fire. All of this was preparation based on forethought of what could possibly happen, and how to act in case of a fire.
It has been said that the best defense is a good offense. Which means to act proactively. In other words, to make the first move. To go first. To take the first action. Which is just another way of saying, preparation is the best policy.
Another definition of wisdom is the ability to discern differences....
Differences in people, in atmospheres, in a moment, in places. And differences in times and seasons. Remember David's secret weapon was the Sons of Issachar, because they had understanding of the times they were in. Which gave them the knowledge of what to do in that particular time. That is wisdom.
Let's say I get on the plane in sunny California, it is 85 degrees, so I have on shorts, flip flops, and a short sleeved shirt. I land in Minnesota and it is 40 below zero. Now my brain and my body, tells me that not only is something different, but they also tell me, that I need to adapt. I need to get some warmer clothes fast.
If I had been operating in wisdom, I wouldn't have stepped off of the airplane in shorts, flip flops and a short sleeved shirt. I would have prepared. I would have looked ahead and discerned what was coming, and adjusted or prepared for it. So when I stepped off of the airplane in a totally different environment, I would have been ready for it.
That was the wisdom of the Sons of Issachar. Now spiritually speaking, God wants us to be sons of Issachar. Meaning that nothing should come as such a surprise that we are overwhelmed by it.
God wants us to operate in life according to what we are calling, the Joseph factor. We could also call it the spirit of wisdom, or the anointing of wisdom.
The favor of God on Joseph's life was not what made him valuable to Pharoah...
#1 It was his supernatural ability to interpret dreams.
#2 It was the anointing of wisdom, that gave him the ability to look beyond present circumstances, and make pre-parations for the next season and the next set of circumstances.
one thing they say about Oklahoma, and its true, is this. If you don't like the weather, just stick around a little while, because it will change.
We are in such a time in this country, that changes are happening continually. It is not a question of if change will occur, but when and how drastic will it be?
The anointing of wisdom is to tap into the currents that are moving, and discern which way they are going... and when they change, and then to adapt and adjust, before those currents reach the surface, and cause all kinds of trouble.
In this hour, it is not your great faith or your anointing, or even your money that impresses me. It is this... Do you have the spirit of wisdom operating in your life.
What good will all your money do, if the money system doesn't use cash anymore?
Wisdom is one of the greatest ways to destroy fear. Fear usually comes because something hits us that we were or are unprepared for.
Wisdom see's ahead and prepares for what is coming, so fear loses its punch.
Joseph didn't stop the famine from coming. And God didn't stop the famine from coming. But he gave Joseph wisdom to prepare for it.
Many times we make our faith so spiritual, that it doesn't have any practical effect on our everyday lives.
And when someone tries to give us advice on practical steps to safeguard or protect ourselves, we get snarky with them, and we say things like---
Well I'm living by faith.
Or God's gonna take care of me.
Or God's got it all under control, so I'm not worried about anything.
Or it will all work out.
I don't want to be mean, but that's just foolishness. Faith in God does not relieve us of the use of common sense, and precautionary measures.
Listen... five virgins were left out in the cold, because they refused to think ahead, and lay up some extra oil. You could say extra food, extra water, extra cash on hand, extra clothing.
The Bible calls them foolish, not because they weren't virgins, but because they didn't prepare ahead. And not because they couldn't prepare ahead, but because they refused to. The Bible calls that FOOLISH.
Remember the wise man sees evil coming, and prepares ahead to get through it with minimal or no damage whatsoever.
First of all, the Joseph factor was not throwing all responsibility on God. The Joseph factor was understanding what God said was coming, then wisely taking actions before the famine, so that in the time of famine they were sustained.
The Bible says that during the first seven years of plenty that Joseph began to take up the 5th part of the land and stored up the corn against the famine.
Here is where we see faith working with wisdom. The wisdom was preparation before needed. The faith was in believing that while they were enjoying seven years of plenty, that a famine was coming.
This is where the real battle happens. When people are enjoying abundance, blessings, and increase, they find it very hard to accept that famine is coming.
And that's when you have to keep moving in faith. Just like Noah. There wasn't a rain drop from the sky for years, but he built in faith that the flood was coming. No doubt Joseph was doubted and criticized. No doubt some people thought Joseph was crazy.
Here was Joseph, with the authority of Pharaoh forcing the people to give up some of their crops, saying that he was saving up for hard times. But they weren't experiencing hard times. In fact it was an extremely prosperous season.
Please don't get upset with me for what I'm going to say...
Sadly I believe that many of the people that are going to be hit the hardest, and suffer the most in these hard times, these evil, and adverse times will be believers.
Why? Because many times we believers will resist instructions and corrections, because we are so super spiritual, we don't think we need anyone to tell us what to do.
Please, give me some space and some grace to say something here....It doesn't matter how spiritual you are, or how anointed you are. The anointing doesn't put food on the table, or gas in the car, or clothes on your body. "You have to follow some instructions. There are principles that must be obeyed."
Faith and work are not opponents. They are not enemies of each other.. They are on the same side. They work together.
In fact the Bible says that without works, faith is dead.
You are not less spiritual because you take someone's advice and store up some food and water, and save a little money.
I know it's getting more difficult to do that all the time, because the storm that was coming is here. We're in the storm now, and we're in the shaking that was prophesied. But believe it or not, there are still some Christians, that have their heads so high in the clouds, that they are completely oblivious to what is happening around them. And they haven't taken one single precaution or preparatory measure to get some extra oil. In other words to store up against hard times.
I have never claimed to walk in the office of a prophet, although I am a prophetic person, and I hear things and sense things in the spirit before they happen. And I speak, and write prophetically. And I know that we're in the storm. We're in the season of shaking, and sifting.
But you don't even have to be prophetic to see where we're headed in this country. Let me quickly say that I know prophetically the greatest days of glory for the church are just around the corner. But is going to get worse before it gets better.
Barring a supernatural invasion of God's power, and barring God overturning the whole economical system, and overturning the actions of total insanity, that have produced historical inflation, and historical gas prices, food prices, and supply shortages, around the world. Then we are in for some very dark and turbulent times still to come.
I'm not saying this to depress you, or discourage you, or to promote fear. I am saying it to promote readiness. To stir up the spirit of wisdom, that can look ahead, and take steps to prepare for what is coming.
That is the Joseph factor. And there is an anointing of wisdom that God wants to impart to us today. Now don't make this negative. This is the physical world we live in... But what is happening in the natural, cannot stop the Awesome and Magnificent work that God is doing in the spirit realm.
*I prophesy that 2022 is producing greatness in you. Every physical, every spiritual, every finacial, and every attack on your faith, is working for you. And it is producing a boldness and a power in you that you have never known.
*I prophesy increase in every area of your life.
*I prophesy that while others are going down, you will be lifted higher than ever before.
*I prophesy that what the enemy has meant for evil against your life, is going to backfire in his face.
*I prophesy that we will begin to see a divine turning of hearts on a scale never seen before.
*I prophesy that as evil is getting bolder and more expressive, it will be met by men and women of God who are more expressive and bolder in the Holy Ghost.
*I prophesy that what the enemy has been trying to do to our children, is going to catapult them into a youth revival like the world has never seen.
*I prophesy that there is a church rising up out of a church, that is a no compromising, bad to the bone, Holy Ghost filled, fire baptized, no sleeping with the world church. And the devil isn't going to have any defense against her.
I prophesy and declare that these are the days of revival that Smith Wigglesworth and many others prophesied would come.
We are in that last day outpouring and visitatation. It's not full measure yet, but it's increasing all the time.
It's really up to you and me how much of the glory and power we want. You have not because you ask not.
I want to lay hands on every single person here, and anoint you for the spirit of wisdom to come upon you, and operate through you. And for the Spirit of revival to flow through you.
